Abkhazia shuts down two border crossings with Georgia proper

TBILISI, DFWatch–Authorities in Abkhazia decided at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday to close Nabakevi and Otobaya border crossings which connect the breakaway region to Georgia proper.

There are now only two crossing points that are operational, only one of which is open to the public.

The only public crossing now open is the bridge across the River Inguri near the town Zugdidi. Another crossing is also open, but it is exclusively used for reconstruction work on the Enguri hydropower plant and is situated further upstream, near Jvari settlement.

The closing of the two checkpoints was announced by Lasha Tsaava, head of the legal department of the de facto Cabinet of Ministers.

De facto PM Beslan Bartsits said the decision would come into force within 30 days, and the heads of administration in the predominantly ethnic Georgian Gali district will immediately convey information about the closures to the local population.